Location: New York

Overview • People • Government • Economy • Trend • Analysis

The Republic of Why_have_a_nation is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by Jonnie with an even hand, and remarkable for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 4.392 billion enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Defence, Education, and Law & Order. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Lisburn City. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 64%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing, Tourism, and Information Technology industries.

Religious education is a new government priority, there have been sightings of people walking around dressed in nothing but leopard-skin g-strings for 'religious reasons', students are wary of colorfully decorated new teachers with names like Professor Pipsqueak, and government-run screening operations remove embryos with severe genetic disorders. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Why_have_a_nation's national animal is the salamander, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the jibba.

Why_have_a_nation is ranked 92nd in New York and 68,222nd in the world for Shortest Average Lifespan, scoring -14 on the Bus Surprisal Index.

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NationStates by Max Barry, author of and